autoimmune diseases

Women's Eye Health

As women typically live longer than men, they are at greater risk for developing vision inhibiting conditions and diseases such as cataract and macular degeneration. For this reason, they have a particular incentive for comprehensive eye exams as they age. Additionally, there are a number of autoimmune diseases that affect the eyes, including rheumatoid arthritis, sjogren’s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis. These are all linked to serious eye complications. Most autoimmune diseases are more prevalent among women, especially sjorgen’s syndrome. Tennis great, Venus Williams recently revealed that she suffered from the disorder, which produces dry eyes. Among the symptoms of multiple sclerosis, which affect more women than men, are double vision, eye discomfort, vision loss and uncontrollable eye movements.